The Enlightenment! Topic for Notes: What was the Enlightenment? EQ: In your opinion do ideas from the Enlightenment coincide with ideas of American society today? Why or Why not? Time Period:1700 CE – 1800 CE Region: Europe

What was the Enlightenment? Similar to Scientific Revolution, but instead of changes in understanding nature/the universe, we see changes in the way people understand society/government Favorite words of the Enlightenment: Progress, REASON (Descartes), Natural Law, Hope, Equality, Fairness, Tolerance

Goals of the Enlightenment By Using the SCIENTIFIC METHOD (Mmmm Bacon) to analyze people and society, Enlightened thinkers had the primary goal of making their world a better place to live for the people in it Goal of understanding EVERYTHING using reason and rationalism (Descartes). This especially applied to Government and Religion

So, what did it Change? These new ways of thinking led to huge changes in the understanding of economics, government, and what the rights/responsibilities should be Although these new ways of thinking did make some people question religion, it also brought many people closer to Christianity, which led to a continued strength of the Catholic and Protestant churches in Europe

And who made these changes, you ask?